Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-1-2022

Publication Title

British journal of cancer

Keywords

JGM, Child, Humans, Adult, Male, Translational Research, Biomedical, Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal, Testicular Neoplasms

JAX Source

Br J Cancer. 2022;127(9):1577-83.

Volume

127

Issue

9

First Page

1577

Last Page

1583

ISSN

1532-1827

PMID

36229581

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41416-022-02000-4

Abstract

Germ cell tumours (GCTs) are a heterogeneous group of rare neoplasms that present in different anatomical sites and across a wide spectrum of patient ages from birth through to adulthood. Once these strata are applied, cohort numbers become modest, hindering inferences regarding management and therapeutic advances. Moreover, patients with GCTs are treated by different medical professionals including paediatric oncologists, neuro-oncologists, medical oncologists, neurosurgeons, gynaecological oncologists, surgeons, and urologists. Silos of care have thus formed, further hampering knowledge dissemination between specialists. Dedicated biobank specimen collection is therefore critical to foster continuous growth in our understanding of similarities and differences by age, gender, and site, particularly for rare cancers such as GCTs. Here, the Malignant Germ Cell International Consortium provides a framework to create a sustainable, global research infrastructure that facilitates acquisition of tissue and liquid biopsies together with matched clinical data sets that reflect the diversity of GCTs. Such an effort would create an invaluable repository of clinical and biological data which can underpin international collaborations that span professional boundaries, translate into clinical practice, and ultimately impact patient outcomes.

Comments

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